Bears' NFC North Foes Face Schedule Challenges

While Detroit's schedule probably rates very close to the Bears, the Packers have one tough stretch and the Vikings are playing one power after another.

USA Today

By now the Bears schedule has been hashed and rehashed to a pulp.

The next-biggest scheduling factor a team faces besides their own is the schedule of their divisional opponents.  

Because the Bears had the worst record in the NFC North, their opponents were weaker based on last year's finish. However, there are points where it is weaker and stronger and this can play a major role in determining if they can make any kind of a run at .500 or the playoffs.

The Lions seem to derive the same sort of benefit even as they are divisional favorites. They didn't make their big step forward until the second half of their schedule last year.

Green Bay must endure a particularly difficult stretch of games later in the season while the Vikings face a gauntlet of defending division champions sure to exploit weak spots they have on defense.

Here's how the other NFC North teams' schedules look compared to the Bears.

Detroit Lions

The Lions and Bears play a very similar schedule in that they both have Kansas City early in the season for road games. Neither team has what looks to be an extremely difficult, prolonged stretch of games, although the Lions have the difficult challenge of two Thursday night games in the first four weeks. That's what they get for complaining about never getting prime-time games. However, the real obstacle Detroit has that the Bears do not is playing Dallas and New Orleans in road games toward the end of the season. The Bears have what looks like a softer finish with Arizona and Atlanta at home and then a trip to Green Bay to close.  The Lions also derive a benefit from a midseason bye rather than waiting until December like the Bears must.

LIONS SCHEDULE

Week 1: Thursday, Sept 7 at Chiefs, 7:15 p.m. 

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17 at Seahawks, noon 

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 24 Falcons, noon

Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 28 at Packers 7:15 p.m.

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 8 Panthers noon 

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 15 at Buccaneers, noon 

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22 at Ravens, noon 

Week 8: Monday, Oct. 30 Raiders, 7:15 p.m. 

Week 9: BYE

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12 at Chargers, 3:05 p.m.  

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19 Bears, noon

Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 23 Packers, 11:30 a.m.

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3 at Saints, noon

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10 at Bears, noon 

Week 15: TBA, Broncos, TBA

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 24 at Vikings, noon

Week 17: Saturday, Dec. 30 at Cowboys, 7:15 p.m. 

Week 18: TBA,  Vikings, TBA

Minnesota Vikings

Remember all of those tight wins the Vikings had last season? Now the Vikings pay for those and their 13-4 record with a schedule that includes Philadelphia, San Francisco, Kansas City, the L.A. Chargers and Cincinnati. They get to play the Eagles in Week 2 on the road on a Thursday night, with short rest. The Lions are division favorites and the Vikings have to play two of their last three games against

Detroit. The Vikings open at home against another 2022 playoff team, the Buccaneers—although no one is talking about Tampa Bay as a power since Tom Brady left.

VIKINGS SCHEDULE

Week 1: Sunday, Sept 10 Buccaneers, noon

Week 2: Thursday, Sept. 14 at Eagles, 7:15 p.m. 

Week 3: Sunday Sept. 24 Chargers, noon 

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1 at Panthers, noon 

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 8, Chiefs, 3:25 p.m.

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 15 at Bears, noon

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22 at Broncos, 3:25 p.m.

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 29 at Packers, noon

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 5 at Falcons, noon

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12 Saints, noon

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19 at Broncos, 7:20 p.m.

Week 12: Monday, Nov. 27 Bears, 7:15 p.m.

Week 13: BYE

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10 at Raiders, 3:05 p.m.

Week 15: TBA, at Bengals, TBA

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 24 Lions, noon

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31, Packers, 7:20 p.m.  

Week 18:  TBA, at Lions, TBA

Green Bay Packers

Although not a particularly difficult schedule overall, it takes a decided turn for the tough side just before Thanksgiving. On Nov. 12 they are at Pittsburgh, the next week they host the Chargers. Then after only a few days of rest, they are at Detroit for Thanksgiving. Even with the minibye they get no respite with a home game the next week because it's a game against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City, followed by a road game on Monday Night Football against another formidable playoff team from last year, the Giants. That stretch more than makes up for a relatively soft start when they play the Bears, Falcons and Saints out of the gates—only the Bears in that group are regarded as top 20 teams in Pro Football Focus' power ratings.

PACKERS SCHEDULE

Week 1: Sunday, Sept 10 at Bears, 3:25 p.m.

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17 at Falcons, noon

Week 3: Sunday Sept. 24 Saints, noon

Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 28 Lions, 7:15 p.m.

Week 5: Monday, Oct. 9 at Raiders, 7:15 p.m.

Week 6: BYE

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22 at Broncos, 3:25 p.m.

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 29 Vikings, noon

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 5 Rams, noon

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12 at Steelers, noon

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19 Chargers, noon

Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 23 at Lions, 11:30 a.m.

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3, Chiefs, 7:20 p.m.

Week 14: Monday, Dec. 11 at Giants, 7:15 p.m.

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 17 Buccaneers, noon

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 24 at Panthers, noon

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31 at Vikings, 7:20 p.m.

Week 18: TBA vs. Bears

Chicago Bears

The late bye week isn't favorable, but facing Green Bay at home in the opener when Jordan Love hasn't had a chance to work into that starting role is favorable. Playing two Thursday night games isn't a positive, and neither is three road prime-time games. But the amount of traveling they do is low and they should rate a chance at winning in most of their home games. They play only five games against 2022 playoff teams and one of those teams didn't even finish .500. Two of the other four are against the same team, the Vikings. They play only one team that made the playoffs last year after Halloween, Minnesota.

BEARS SCHEDULE

Week 1: Sunday, Sept 10 Packers, 3:25 p.m.

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17 at Buccaneers, noon

Week 3: Sunday Sept. 24 at Chiefs, 3:25 p.m.

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1 Broncos, noon 

Week 5: Thursday, Oct. 5 at Commanders, 7:15 p.m.

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 15 Vikings, noon

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22 Raiders, noon

Week 8: Monday, Oct. 29 at Chargers, 7:20 p.m. 

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 5 at Saints, noon

Week 10: Thursday, Nov. 9 Panthers, noon

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19 at Lions, noon

Week 12: Monday, Nov. 29 at Vikings, 7:15 p.m..

Week 13: BYE

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10 Lions, noon

Week 15: TBA at Browns, noon

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 24 Cardinals, 3:25 p.m.

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31 Falcons, noon

Week 18: TBA at Packers, TBA  

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